Enhanced open-radio access network (o-ran) framework with network resource and service abstractions for supporting wireline and wireless convergence (wwc)

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, receiving a service request relating to a UE, based on the receiving, obtaining, from an AIC, information regarding access physical resources that are available in access network(s), wherein the access physical resources include wireline resources and wireless resources, wherein the access physical resources are disaggregated into a plurality of modular units, wherein an access resource abstraction layer abstracts the access physical resources such that the plurality of modular units are identified by respective universal physical resource ports and are associated with respective physical resource data, and wherein the information includes selected ones of the respective universal physical resource ports, and utilizing the information to compose a service chain for the service request by virtually coupling the modular units of the plurality of modular units that correspond to the selected ones of the respective universal physical resource ports. Other embodiments are disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A device, comprising:
 a processing system including a processor; and   a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:   receiving a service request relating to a user equipment (UE);   based on the receiving, obtaining, from an access intelligent controller (AIC), information regarding access physical resources that are available in one or more access networks,
 wherein the access physical resources include wireline resources and wireless resources, 
 wherein the access physical resources are disaggregated into a plurality of modular units, 
 wherein an access resource abstraction layer abstracts the access physical resources such that the plurality of modular units are identified by respective universal physical resource ports and are associated with respective physical resource data, and 
 wherein the information includes selected ones of the respective universal physical resource ports; and 
   utilizing the information to compose a service chain for the service request by virtually coupling the modular units of the plurality of modular units that correspond to the selected ones of the respective universal physical resource ports.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the AIC is equipped with a wireline wireless convergence (WWC) system that is implemented in an xApp. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the WWC system is configured to analyze the respective physical resource data and the service request to choose the selected ones of the respective universal physical resource ports. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the wireless resources comprise one or more access points that operate using 4G technology, 5G technology, 6G technology, or a higher generation radio access technology (RAT). 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the wireless resources comprise one or more satellite-based stations. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the wireline resources comprise a Gigabyte Passive Optical Network (GPON). 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the processing system is associated with logical resources that are abstracted by a service resource abstraction layer into logical resource ports, and wherein the logical resources include resources that provide voice services, video services, security services, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 selecting one or more of the logical resource ports based on the service request, resulting in selected logical resource ports, wherein the utilizing further comprises utilizing the selected logical resource ports to compose the service chain.   
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 based on the receiving, obtaining, from a transport intelligent controller (TIC), other information regarding transport physical resources that are available in one or more transport networks,
 wherein the transport physical resources are disaggregated into another plurality of modular units, 
 wherein a transport resource abstraction layer abstracts the transport physical resources such that the another plurality of modular units are identified by other respective universal physical resource ports and are associated with other respective physical resource data, and 
 wherein the other information includes particular ones of the other respective universal physical resource ports. 
   
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 9 , wherein the TIC is equipped with a transport (T) steering system that is implemented in an xApp. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the T steering system is configured to analyze the other respective physical resource data and the service request to choose the particular ones of the other respective universal physical resource ports. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 based on the receiving, obtaining, from a core intelligent controller (CIC), other information regarding core physical resources that are available in one or more core networks,
 wherein the core physical resources are disaggregated into another plurality of modular units, 
 wherein a core resource abstraction layer abstracts the core physical resources such that the another plurality of modular units are identified by other respective universal physical resource ports and are associated with other respective physical resource data, and 
 wherein the other information includes particular ones of the other respective universal physical resource ports. 
   
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the CIC is equipped with a core (C) steering system that is implemented in an xApp. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the C steering system is configured to analyze the other respective physical resource data and the service request to choose the particular ones of the other respective universal physical resource ports. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the processing system comprises a Service and Slice Management and Orchestration (S-SMO) system. 
     
     
         16 . A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
 receiving a service request relating to a user equipment (UE);   based on the receiving:
 obtaining, from an access intelligent controller (AIC), information regarding access physical resources that are available in one or more access networks,
 wherein the access physical resources include wireline resources and wireless resources, 
 wherein the access physical resources are disaggregated into a plurality of modular units, 
 wherein an access resource abstraction layer abstracts the access physical resources such that the plurality of modular units are identified by respective universal physical resource ports, and 
 wherein the information includes selected ones of the respective universal physical resource ports; 
 
 obtaining from another intelligent controller, other information regarding other physical resources that are available in one or more other networks,
 wherein the other physical resources are disaggregated into another plurality of modular units, 
 wherein another resource abstraction layer abstracts the other physical resources such that the another plurality of modular units are identified by other respective universal physical resource ports, and 
 wherein the other information includes particular ones of the other respective universal physical resource ports; and 
 
   utilizing the information and the other information to compose a service chain for the service request by virtually coupling the modular units of the plurality of modular units that correspond to the selected ones of the respective universal physical resource ports and the modular units of the other plurality of modular units that correspond to the particular ones of the other respective universal physical resource ports.   
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the another intelligent controller comprises a transport intelligent controller (TIC), and wherein the one or more other networks comprise one or more transport networks. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the another intelligent controller comprises a core intelligent controller (CIC), and wherein the one or more other networks comprise one or more core networks. 
     
     
         19 . A method, comprising:
 receiving, by a processing system including a processor, a service request relating to a user equipment (UE);   based on the receiving, obtaining, by the processing system and from an access intelligent controller (AIC), information regarding access physical resources that are available in one or more access networks,
 wherein the access physical resources include wireline resources and wireless resources, 
 wherein the access physical resources are disaggregated into a plurality of modular units, 
 wherein an access resource abstraction layer abstracts the access physical resources such that the plurality of modular units are identified by respective universal physical resource ports and are associated with respective physical resource data, 
 wherein the AIC is equipped with a wireline wireless convergence (WWC) system that is implemented in an xApp and that is configured to analyze the respective physical resource data and the service request to choose selected ones of the respective universal physical resource ports, and 
 wherein the information includes the selected ones of the respective universal physical resource ports; and 
   utilizing, by the processing system, the information to compose a service chain for the service request by virtually coupling the modular units of the plurality of modular units that correspond to the selected ones of the respective universal physical resource ports.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the processing system is associated with logical resources that are abstracted by a service resource abstraction layer into logical resource ports, wherein the logical resources include resources that provide voice services, video services, security services, or a combination thereof, and wherein the method further comprises:
 selecting one or more of the logical resource ports based on the service request, resulting in selected logical resource ports, wherein the utilizing further comprises utilizing the selected logical resource ports to compose the service chain.